Video call setup checklist
Test everything before the call, not during it. Every item here is something that's obvious in hindsight and invisible until the exact moment it fails.
13 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Microphone tested before the call, not during itRecord a few seconds and play it back — 'can you hear me' as an opening line is entirely avoidable.
- Camera positioned at eye levelA laptop flat on a desk shoots up someone's nose. Raise it on a stand or a stack of books.
- Lighting placed in front of you, facing your faceA window behind the camera turns you into a silhouette, and no setting in the app fixes that afterwards.
- Background checked or tidied, or a virtual background set
- Internet connection tested, wired if it's availableShared household wifi is the most common reason a call freezes at exactly the wrong moment.
- App updated and camera or microphone permissions granted in advanceA permissions prompt at the start of a call is a delay everyone else is waiting through.
- Notifications muted on the device doing the callA message notification broadcast to everyone on a screen-share is memorable for the wrong reasons.
- Headphones or earbuds readyCuts the echo that comes from speaking through open speakers into an open microphone.
- Screen-share content opened and tested in advanceFumbling to find the right tab live is slower and more visible than doing it beforehand.
- Backup dial-in number or a phone saved, in case video drops entirely
- Do-not-disturb signal agreed with anyone sharing the spaceA closed door or a sign avoids someone walking through frame mid-sentence.
- Water within reachQuieter than reaching across the desk and catching the microphone on the way.
- Agenda or notes open in a second window, not buried under the call itself
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- Where should the light actually be?
- In front of you, facing your face, not behind you. A window behind the camera turns you into a silhouette no lighting setting can fix afterwards.
- Is a wired connection worth the effort for a normal call?
- For anything important, yes. Wifi shared with the rest of the household is the most common reason a call freezes at exactly the wrong sentence.
- What's the most common avoidable mistake?
- Not testing the microphone beforehand. 'Can you hear me?' as the opening line of a call wastes everyone's first few minutes and is entirely avoidable.